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sothis

  • Seattle
  • Joined May 22, 2002
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Zanki x 99

Sep 6, 2023

If rating solely on the high stakes games element it's way stronger than I expected, because it's just completely over the top. Teens try to survive a Soulslike, essentially, and they're all cannon fodder. Unfortunately the manga really tanks by the end due to other reasons: has an extremely problematic transphobic character/plot point that becomes the driving aspect of the story, and it's super offensive. The driving force behind why the game is happening is also crude and weird and gross. There's also weird fetish stuff added in throughout the manga that is off putting and didn't need to be there ... See full review

6/10 story
6/10 art
?/10 characters
5.5/10 overall

The Red Snake

Oct 22, 2009

Story: 1/10Having become somewhat of a horror manga aficionado and subsequently obsessed with the likes of Kazuo Umezu and Junji Itou, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the Hino Horror anthology. Eager to write a review for each of the thirteen titles, last night I picked up Hino Horror 1: The Red Snake and got ready for the ride of my life – that is, if you consider pus, random torture and epic gore a smashing good... See full review

1/10 story
9/10 art
2/10 characters
2/10 overall

The Embalmer

Oct 9, 2009

The Embalmer is a dark yet somehow delightful look at a young man put in a difficult position; he is an embalmer, an occupation frowned upon in Japan. We read as he handles various deaths and helps restore dignity back to the lost souls - not to mention a great deal of character development with he himself. The Embalmer is a visual treat to look at, and overall is definitely worth a read. Filled with relatively unconnected stories and a few central characters that span them all, it's an easy read that will capture your attention. If dark elements of the dead... See full review

7.5/10 story
7/10 art
7/10 characters
7/10 overall

Saturn Apartments

Mar 8, 2021

Tricky series to review. If you took the art of Twin Spica and the plot of Planetes, you'd get something similar to Saturn Apartments. The mangaka's art is childlike and gorgeous - my favorite scenes were the two-page spreads showing the window washers on the outside of the ring, looking down at Earth. And the story starts in a compelling way, with Mitsu becoming a window washer and us learning about his sad past with losing his father.  But, frankly, it gets boring quick. It took me a long time to move from vol 1 to the end, having owned the series for years. The individual clients' apartments and... See full review

6/10 story
10/10 art
?/10 characters
7/10 overall

Pupa

Nov 21, 2013

I rarely ever write reviews anymore due to having no free time, and definitely don't have time to write a full-fledged writeup of pros and cons - but Pupa was so disturbing that I feel compelled to at least write a warning to others.  I was first interested in Pupa when seeing the upcoming Winter anime list, as there's an anime adaptation airing soon. Horror? Check. Disturbing? Check. Anyone who knows me, knows I love me a good horror title, and try my best to read as many manga related to the genre as possible. It takes a lot, and I mean a lot, for me to be grossed out and disturbed by... See full review

?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
4/10 overall

Paranoia Star

Mar 23, 2011

If you like faces being peeled off, nazis, a boy being thrown into a wall and having his face explode, several penises, things that make no sense, and people talking about the merits of writing poetry or playing the flute, you will totally love this manga.

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?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
1/10 overall

Lullabies from Hell

Feb 5, 2017

Lullabies from Hell is another manga from Hideshi Hino - a very well known author who focuses on body horror of all types: pus, gore, torture, and other disgusting aspects. Thus, you should be aware of what you're getting into with any of his works, and your overall score might vary depending on how much you like that content. I'm not a huge fan of boils, people getting stabbed, animals getting tortured while alive, etc. So it's probably safe to say I didn't enjoy this manga. There's 4 stories, each is as disgusting as the last, though the most visually assaulting and horrific content is in the first one... See full review

?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
2/10 overall

Katana

Oct 9, 2009

Katana is a lighthearted and engaging look at a young man who can communicate with the souls dwelling within swords. As a child he was cast aside by his peers who thought he was crazy, and he definitely doesn't want to be charged with the burden of running the family sword meister business. Nevertheless he finds that he keeps running across swords and spirits in need of assistance. Katana is relatively episodic but unlike manga such as Pet Shop of Horrors, each chapter fits a little better together with recurring characters. There's a decent blend of comedy and... See full review

?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
6.8/10 overall

Judge

Jan 13, 2017

Judge is a servicable high stakes games manga. There's nothing especially unique about it, but there's nothing overly egregious with it either. It's familiar and stereotypical, but there's nothing inherently wrong with that if you're in the mood for standard play or die fare. Starting with the story, if you read the author's other similar (but unrelated) title Doubt, you'll feel right at home here. A... See full review

6/10 story
6/10 art
4/10 characters
6/10 overall

Ingoshima

Sep 6, 2023

I refuse to rate something higher than a 1 if the driving aspect of the plot is to glorify and showcase gang rape, over and over, by either a mangaka or artist that clearly has a rape fantasy going on. Hopefully this review will deter some readers who have a similar problem with this sort of glorification. People crashland on an island, the wild natives go after them. Whatever, standard/boring trope, and yes, the men (and some of the women - but not many) get killed in gory ways, standard fare for stuff like ... See full review

?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
1/10 overall

I Am a Hero in Nagasaki

Jul 17, 2018

This is literally the worst thing I have ever read in my life. Read it if you like: Boners Silhouettes of boners, including artistic shots that highlight said boners as they overlook our MC Full crotchal shots for no reason A shot of a saggy zombie boob hanging out in a frame with the MC as he talks to the other MC for no reason except to be there Nose picking scenes The whiniest, most horrible MC since Shinji Weirdly grotesque zombies (way moreso than I Am a Hero or the Osaka spinoff) that reminded me of something out of Meet the Feebles Also, boners Whichever editor approved this to be... See full review

1/10 story
1/10 art
1/10 characters
0.5/10 overall

Hataraki Man

Oct 9, 2009

I'm not feeling it.I watched some of the anime version of Hataraki Man, and enjoyed it; it felt like a somewhat-heavy slice of life title, with plenty of josei angst to go around. The manga just... is missing something. I know it came first, but I found it far more boring and uninteresting to read. Somehow the topic of workaholics (with a heavy dose of psychological conversation) doesn't make for a good read. It's hard to follow the character, hard to keep people straight (given there are so many names and faces to deal with), and overall pretty soulless. That being said, the chapter involving Hiroko's... See full review

?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
5.7/10 overall

Gajuu

May 15, 2023

OK look, everyone who knows me knows I love the dark stuff. Green Worldz, AOT, Shibuya Goldfish... stuff going to hell and people getting eaten is entertaining manga for me. But very rarely something comes along that's too over-the-top gory even for me, and this is officially one of them. Someone gets eaten every 4 panels, the author really likes showing people's heads getting bitten and their eyeballs popping out, and it's just way too gratuitous for gratuitous's sake.  The beginning was legit fairly creepy - a standard "train stuck underground and something bad is happening" trope for... See full review

?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
3/10 overall

Extra Heavy Syrup

Oct 5, 2009

Talk about boring. Extra Heavy Syrup is a short, mission-based series about two girls who are looking for clues about their ex boyfriend while trying to 'clean' what's needed. It could have been an interesting story but at only 2 chapters is far too short to get into. Not to mention nothing is resolved with the girls! I can liken EHS barely to something like Rose Hip Zero, but the manga reminded me more of anime such as Get Backers. Overall, I'd suggest avoiding this one.

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?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
3/10 overall

Drifting Net Café

Apr 29, 2017

Boy, was this a mistake to read. If you're a woman, or generally aren't a big fan of extended gang rape that happens a whole one volume in, slowly back away from this piece of shit and don't look back. Starts off with an unsympathetic MC who gets himself in an unsympathetic situation, then he and denizens of a net cafe are suddenly somewhere else, in a desolate landscape. Highly reminiscent of The Drifting Classroom, until very shortly after the group finds themselves in a strange land one of the girls is gang raped by three dudes - actual by two, attempted by one. Because all morals go out... See full review

?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
0.5/10 overall

Desert Storm

Oct 5, 2009

Desert Storm is a collection of three one shot manga revolving around the supernatural. Each tale is distinctly unique and in my opinion vary in quality and story. The first, Desert Storm, was to me the most interesting. Revolving around Europe is rare for any anime/manga (Yugo the Negotiator immediately came to mind), and Desert Storm pulled it off well. The second, Garden, was equally as interesting and more of a straightforward love story; it was engaging and had just the right amount of... See full review

6.5/10 story
6/10 art
6.5/10 characters
6/10 overall

Dead Word Puzzle

Jan 16, 2017

I'm the first in line to read anything "play or die" related, but this was bottom of the barrel, even for me.  Dead Word Puzzle really should be called "Intestines: The Manga", because virtually every other shot has intestines in it. INTESTINES! ALL THE TIME! I'm not kidding about the intestines. Approximately 70% of all of the deaths have intestines involved. Someone's stomach area explodes and they are shown lying on the ground, with their legs and shoulders/head connected by a pile of intestines only. And... See full review

?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
2/10 overall

Classmate (Nemui ASADA)

Jan 21, 2017

Classmate is a very short one-shot so the review will be short as well. Just as a warning, nothing happens in this except a shithead and his shithead friends mercilessly bully another classmate for no apparent reason (except for a really halfass attempt at a reason on the last page). Just so you know what you're getting into, there's plain-old beating up, forcing the guy to open his mouth while they piss in it, shoving a sausage on a stick where you'd imagine it would get shoved and then photographing it, followed by him trying to escape and falling down the stairs. Yes, I guess I just spoiled all of the... See full review

0.5/10 story
3/10 art
0.5/10 characters
0.5/10 overall

Candy Life

Oct 5, 2009

Overall a surprisingly interesting read. Candy Life presents a relatively standard love triangle with a bit of smut and a very sexy succubus (in the form of a 19-year-old boy), but ultimately succeeds at being engaging for the entire volume. Makoto's choice is relatively obvious but one of the character's motives are not, leading to an interesting twist that you likely will not see coming. Artwork is less than stellar with fairly ugly designs, including a horrendous cover shot; but it gets the job done.Overall I'd recommend Candy Life for a quick josei read.

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?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
6.7/10 overall

Camgoroshi

Sep 6, 2023

Another 1 star for the prequel to Ingoshima that, just like Ingoshima, was written as a way to glorify gang rape and rape in general over and over. I thought maybe the prequel would be different, nope. Different people crash landing, literally the same raping frequency, but with some other types thrown in, lots of women with traumatic faces that have been taken aside by pairs of dudes etc.  Seriously, wtf? (related: my Ingoshima writeup)

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?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
1/10 overall

Black Survival

Jan 16, 2017

I can't say there's much value to be had in this manga. In 6 of the available 8 chapters, you learn that there's roughly a dozen people on a deserted island trying to kill each other in some sort of game. Most of the time, mysterious bracelets they wear revive them from death, unless they get 'really killed' before they're healed. There's three people, they get in two fights, and you don't know anything other than that. Meh. The art is weird and cartoonish even for a typical webtoon, and the jarring chibi scenes don't help much either.  Supposedly Black Survival was meant to promote a game, so I... See full review

?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
2/10 overall

Black Cat (Hideshi HINO)

Feb 5, 2017

This volume of the Hino Horror series is one of my favorites, because it's devoid of Hideshi Hino's usual fare: there's no torture, animal violence, pus or other forms of bodily fluids, and no body horror. If that's what you're looking for with this volume, you'll be disappointed. Otherwise, continue reading! Black Cat follows a black cat as it moves from household to household (3 in total) and observes what happens in their lives. It's low key, not especially horrific, and not especially dramatic either. There's a hint of supernatural elements, but not enough to call these ghost stories. An average set of... See full review

?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
5.5/10 overall

Akazukin Eliza

Oct 9, 2009

....... -_-;Well that was disturbing. A creepy muscular grandmother feeling her granddaughter up? Check! A giant worm creature that the main character eventually straddles? Check! Random pointless ecchi? Check!Honestly there isn't a point to reading this unless you want a bit of ecchi. The story is crap (a version of Little Red Riding Hood, essentially) and otherwise is a useless one shot.

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?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
2/10 overall

Ai no Sanka

Sep 17, 2016

Not really sure wtf is going on here - incredibly over-dramatic romance that you'll need a vomit bag for, a sad 'ending', followed by a confusing do-over, or not sure?  tl;dr skip this one. 

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?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
3/10 overall

3D Material

Oct 9, 2009

3D Material is a set of two one-shots centering around romance and drama, aimed at a josei (older female) audience. Story 1 is easily the most compelling, with two character embroiled in a bitter love triangle with plenty of angst to go around. I recommended the manga with Nana for that reason. Story 2 was terribly confusing for me and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.Artwork is pretty bad as well, so this is one I'd probably skip on.

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?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
5/10 overall

2015: Space Series

Sep 22, 2020

While the art wasn't always consistent and one or two stories didn't quite hit the mark, this is hands down one of the best set of stories I've read in ages. The first chapter has replaced the one shot Hotel - the story that got me into manga over a decade ago - as the most epic story I've read. So many chapters reminded me of the short stories I used to read in Analog magazine as a kid, or similar to episodes of Black Mirror, where there's a devious twist at the end. The main miss was chapter 13 about the space elevator, but the rest were A+/ Fantastic art in almost all of the stories - even ones... See full review

9/10 story
9/10 art
8/10 characters
9.5/10 overall

2001 + 5

Sep 22, 2020

I enjoyed this more than 2001 Nights, by far. The first story was the best, reminding me of the Hotel one shot (which got me into manga, so...). The Phobos story reminded me a bit of some of the tones/themes in the Planetes manga. Fantastic art with sweeping shots of space and spaceships, though minimal plot in most cases. Still, an enjoyable read.

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?/10 story
8/10 art
?/10 characters
6.5/10 overall

$100 is Too Cheap

Oct 9, 2009

Generally I find one shot manga to be too short to get into - that was not the case with $100 is Too Cheap! It's short, but it also has an interesting and humorous - due to the twist - story that will keep you hooked the whole time. As it's a simple one shot there's not much else to say except read it!

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?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
8/10 overall

100 Days Dream

Oct 9, 2009

Wow! ;_;100 Days Dream was a definite surprise. It starts as a relatively tame, whimsical tale of a girl who can fly and communicate with the things she meets - a bird and a tree - and ends with a twist and sadness. Definitely worth the read if you like melancholy stories.

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?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
8.5/10 overall

08:05 no Hengao-san

Sep 17, 2016

Short and charming - worth a read because of the hilarious faces, which will remind you of GTO or other such titles. Not the best ever, but a decent shoujo.

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8/10 story
7/10 art
6/10 characters
7/10 overall